Elvis' guitar player, John Wilkinson, dies in Springfield

Jan. 11, 2013

Written by

News-Leader Staff

Springfield guitarist and singer John Wilkinson — the upstart boy who scolded Elvis Presley over his guitar work, later the loyal bandmate of The King — died Friday after a long battle with cancer at age 67.

With his wife, Terry, whom he married in 1983, he spent his final hours listening to Presley songs, said Brett Miller, a close family friend.

Wilkinson was born on July 3, 1945, in Washington, D.C. About a year later, his parents, Richard and Virginia Wilkinson, moved to Springfield, where he attended all grades at Greenwood Laboratory School through high school.

He briefly attended the University of Arkansas and left to pursue his passion for music. He gained recognition in folk and country circles, playing with The Kingston Trio and The New Christy Minstrels.

At the peak of his career, he played rhythm guitar in Presley’s TCB (Taking Care of Business) Band for more than 1,200 shows, from 1968 to Presley’s death in 1977.

As a boy, Wilkinson had seen television clips of Presley beating on his guitar with his hands. In a widely celebrated encounter, Wilkinson at age 10 sneaked into the Shrine Mosque before a Presley concert and berated the young star for mistreating his guitar. Presley remembered the moment and hired Wilkinson when they met again 12 years later.

In 1989, Wilkinson had a stroke that prevented him from playing guitar. However, he continued to sing, and he toured through Europe performing songs associated with Presley and original work.

He lived in California for a time, then returned to live in the house where he grew up in Springfield.

Read much more about John Wilkinson and his music career Sunday in the News-Leader and online.